Hamilton council takes up bidding reform ordinance

HAMILTON — Hamilton Township has come one step closer to what would codify the way the town awards contracts to private vendors.

The body introduced legislation that would formalize the administration’s practices of bidding its professional contracts, such as engineering, health insurance brokerage and others at its meeting Tuesday night.

Councilman Dennis Pone said the township has already been practicing the bid processes in the ordinance. The model for the ordinance came from the Citizens Campaign, a statewide reform advocacy group.

“Politicians around the state have been talking about doing it forever and we’re making it law,” he said.

The ordinance would require the township to go out for bids on all of its contracts and take the bidders’ price into account as part of its decisions when awarding those contracts.

The council approved a contract with the township’s auditor — and an expanded audit — with the firm Hodulik and Morrison. The auditor contract was not solicited or bid out, Business Administrator John Ricci said.

“We have had good success with this firm, since 2006,” he said. “Council and administration are both pleased with the service and because it is a professional service bidding is not required.

Resident Dan Keelan asked why the contract was not bid out, given the proposed ordinance the council presented.

Council President Ed Gore said he was not concerned about the lack of bids for the contract.

“I don’t think it presents a conflict,” he said. “The field is unique and requires a lot of expertise.”

Mayor Kelly Yaede announced the expanded audit last week, which will go into individual transactions from three departments in the township: the Mayor’s Office, Department of Community Planning and Compliance and Department of Health, Recreation and Veterans Services.

Township Attorney Lindsay Burbage said the bidding ordinance would require the auditor to be bid out in the next audit.

Council approved the appointment of David Carothers as the town’s Emergency Management Coordinator and Deborah Minnick as the town’s Coordinator of the Hamilton Alliance Against Substance Abuse.

Members of the public also asked about the abuse prevention counseling from the alliance. Tennille McCoy, a resident and candidate for council, asked the council to partner more with the school district to counsel them.

“They could see that students would have a better relationship with those individuals because they see them on a day to day basis,” she said, of the district’s Student Assistance Counselors.

Resident David Maher, a former nominee for mayor said the council should make sure the prevention programs don’t get “tunnel vision” on youth abuse problems.

“You guys are doing a phenomenal job and I think we need to reach out to all our residents,” he said.

The council also honored the Group Three state title for Nottingham High School football team. Pone said the team was exemplary of the culture of sport in the township.

“Athleticism is a big part of Hamilton Township, it’s a big part of what makes the community great,” he said.

Referencing the 30-minute interruption at Sunday’s Super Bowl, Meara asked them if they had any similar problems.